Gamification & Marketing

Gamification has been identified as the process of using gaming concepts and mechanics to help engage consumers and to also to drive a change in behavior. Marketing looks at this digital channel as a prime focus as this simple and effective concept can be seen to create increasing potentials for businesses themselves. “Gamification, or the use of gaming dynamics to influence user behavior, is gathering steam as a marketing tool for engaging consumers and delivering messages.”( Marketing,2012).

Gamification is seen to be s powerful marketing approach as it allows brands in particular to be able to combine the interest of the business itself and their indented consumer interests. By presenting content in an entreating and fun concept for users to engage in.

With companies using the gamifcation users are being marketed without realizing as they are spending more time on the website or virtual concept. As they feel like they are being provided with their own entertainment.

Gamification is being recognizes for the ability for brands to engage with consumers on a more deeper level and to help guide the consumer through the purchase intent.

The growing dominance of virtual gamification is increasingly becoming to play an substantial role in customer engagement. “Organizations which have adopted gamification have reported greater customer engagement, return on investment (ROI), data quality, timeliness and learning”. (Spire,2012). Gaming applications as a whole are starting to become a more standardized essential of the marketing toolkit.

Gamification’s rise from the traditional form of marketing is not seen to be surprising. With an increase in real- time marketing, there is also an need for more innovative and interactive ways to engage with consumers, “gamification techniques offer an engaging answer by tapping into a user’s innate human traits and driving their behavior”.(Carmeron,2013).

Gamification is seen to be still an emerging concept of brand interaction, but it is noted that consumers are open to interact with brands. Gamification from a marketing perspective should be seen to be integrated into all forms of social, mobile on and offline campaigns to help increase the results and encourage participation.

Social Channels are they key for markets so making these channels large and integrated as much as they can. Interaction with the gamficiation for a company must be accessible and convenient for the consumer. So this can therefore generate interest for the consumer. This will also help increase the increase of sales for the company. Which can be identified as an effective marketing tactic.

An effective example of how gamification is implanted into marketing is Nike launched an application in January 2012, which has therefore developed into a very popular gamified sport. The company was seen to step out their comfort zones as a well-regarded brand in primarily focusing on lifestyle changes and helping their consumers keep fit and healthy.

The gamification concept was built around the idea of the Nike + Fuelband, which was a bracelet that had embedded special technology that helps to monitor and track the users every move. Consumers had to download the Nike+ App where they can then track their own workouts and find out how many calories they are actually burning.

By implementing this gaming concept Nike has also integrated social drives which includes a social dimension of the game itself. This has helped to expand the awareness of the brand and the demand of the product itself.

Incorporating the gamification concept into Nike’s campaign, also allowed consumers to interact with other friends, which is primarily the intent of marketing. “It perpetuates greater level of momentum in user engagement”. (Chou,2013). This is resulted by the points that are accumulated by the user’s distance traveled. They have also incorporated a leader board so others know where individuals are at which also relates to the association of Nike’s brand image of being fit and healthy.